I hope you’re all doing well today.  I’ve been a bit under the weather lately, so I’m not going to try to be particularly funny today.  I know what you’re thinking — “Why start now?”  Good one!  I bet you’ll feel bad when I’m rushed to the hospital.

Yep, I’m fairly certain that I’m sporting a strain of the Swine Flu, which I undoubtedly acquired as cosmic retribution for recently purchasing pre-diced prosciutto for use in risotto this past weekend.  Let that be a lesson to you:  Try to cut corners and run the risk of a serious infection.

Our favorite corner-cutter…Ruth Reichl goes for “funny ha-ha” in a video…and the unholy marriage of fast food, entertainment & marketing — plus a whole lot more smörg after the jump.

- Sandra Lee takes it from “Semi-Homemade” to “Semi-Drive-Through” with her appearance in KFC’s new grilled chicken commercial.

- Paula Deen illustrates precisely why all food service employees wear hairnets or hats.  Between this and the pants episode, I think we can safely say that this woman has boundary issues.

- Gourmet’s editor Ruth Reichl has a video illustrating the danger that celebrity poses to anonymous restaurant critics.  Be sure to watch it all the way through to the Winehouse impression.  No, I’m not kidding.

- Food Network’s New York City Wine & Food Festival will feature a Rachael Ray Burger Bash and a talk by Anthony Bourdain.  At the risk of playing armchair Freud, I’m convinced Food Network is the flame and Tony is the proverbial moth.

- I’m all for trying to keep your favorite show on the air…especially one that features copious amounts of Yvonne Strahovski.  But when your campaign includes buying sandwiches that were featured on an unmistakable and ham handed product placement, you’re only encouraging bad behavior.

Photo: ayalan